Australia
Int'l visitors reach two year high as tourists pour back into Australia
With borders opening, Australia's reeling tourism industry has begun to see its first influx of international tourists in over two years.
Managing director of the Australian Tourism Export Council (ATEC), Australia's peak tourism body, Peter Shelley said on Friday that a long period of uncertainty was beginning to come to an end.
Australia's export tourism industry has endured two years of debilitating conditions where many businesses simply had no income or vision on when it would end, Shelley said.
According to data released by Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) on Thursday, Australia's international visitors had reached their highest levels since February of 2020, when an estimated 647,000 international travelers arrived in Australia before its borders were shut in March.
In April this year, 575,530 visitors arrived in Australia, 200,000 more visitors than the previous month.
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As a result, the pandemic has all but decimated Australia's 45 billion Australian dollars (about 31 billion U.S. dollars) export tourism industry, however, the ATEC said that government and industry would need to play an active role in its recovery.
"Now we have our borders open we are seeing the green shoots of recovery and with export tourism businesses looking to rebuild their markets, this (is) an important time for government focus on investing in getting the industry back on its feet," said Shelley.
The ATEC launched a tourism campaign dubbed "its time for tourism," which called for greater funding for peak tourism marketing body, Tourism Australia, and greater training for workers in the tourism industry.
"While we rebuild our industry we also have the opportunity to innovate and improve business practices, support a more sustainable industry and create a tourism industry of the future," said Shelley.
New Zealand welcomes back tourists as pandemic rules eased
New Zealand welcomed tourists from the U.S., Canada, Britain, Japan and more than 50 other countries for the first time in more than two years Monday after dropping most of its remaining pandemic border restrictions.
The country has long been renowned for its breathtaking scenery and adventure tourism offerings such as bungy jumping and skiing. Before the spread of COVID-19, more than 3 million tourists visited each year, accounting for 20% of New Zealand’s foreign income and more than 5% of the overall economy.
But international tourism stopped altogether in early 2020 after New Zealand imposed some of the world’s toughest border restrictions.
Also Read: New Zealand to remove pandemic mandates as Omicron wanes
The border rules remained in place as the government at first pursued an elimination strategy and then tried to tightly control the spread of the virus. The spread of omicron and vaccinations of more than 80% of New Zealand’s 5 million population prompted the gradual easing of restrictions.
New Zealand reopened to tourists from Australia three weeks ago and on Monday to about 60 visa-waiver countries, including much of Europe. Most tourists from India, China and other non-waiver countries are still not allowed to enter.
Tourists will need to be vaccinated and to test themselves for the virus before and after arriving.
“Today is a day to celebrate, and is a big moment in our reconnection with the world,” said Tourism Minister Stuart Nash.
At Auckland Airport, flights bringing in tourists began landing from early in the morning, coming in direct from places including Los Angeles, San Francisco, Kuala Lumpur, and Singapore.
The border reopening will help boost tourism ahead of New Zealand’s upcoming ski season. But the real test of how much the tourism industry rebounds will come in December, when the peak summer season begins in the Southern Hemisphere nation.
Also Read: New Zealand reports the 1st Omicron XE variant
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said more than 90,000 people had booked flights to New Zealand in the seven weeks since the reopening was announced and 21 international flights were scheduled to land Monday in Auckland.
“Our tourism industry have felt the effects of the global pandemic acutely, and are working hard to prepare,” she said.
Australia Post issues stamps to mark Queen Elizabeth II's 70th year on throne
Australia's national postal service, Australia Post, has released two postage stamps to mark the platinum jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II, as the nation commemorates her 70th year as Head of the Commonwealth.
The two stamps, unveiled to the public on Monday, depict portraits of Queen Elizabeth II from 1952, the year she rose to the throne, and 2019, highlighting her longevity as Head of the Commonwealth, which includes countries such as Australia, Canada, and New Zealand.
Australia Post Group Philatelic Manager Michael Zsolt said the latest additions form part of the service's tradition of honoring Queen Elizabeth II.
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Queen Elizabeth II is the most featured person on Australian stamps, and the Australia Post was the first postal authority in the Commonwealth to produce a stamp for her birthday each year, Zsolt said.
The Australia Post had previously released stamps to celebrate the golden and diamond jubilees of Queen Elizabeth II, marking 50 and 60 years of her service.
While Queen Elizabeth II has very little involvement in the governance of Australia, she still plays a prominent cultural role in Australian life. Her image is also displayed on Australian coins and the five-dollar banknote.
The postage stamps and associated collectables are expected to go on sale from Tuesday.
Also Read: Queen Elizabeth II to skip Christmas trip amid omicron surge
Australia to send armored vehicles to Ukraine after request
Prime Minister Scott Morrison said Friday that Australia will send armored Bushmaster vehicles to Ukraine after President Volodymyr Zelenskyy specifically asked for them while appealing to Australian lawmakers for more help in Ukraine's war against Russia.
Zelenskyy addressed the Australian Parliament on Thursday and asked for the Australian-made, four-wheel-drive vehicles.
Morrison told reporters the vehicles will be flown over on Boeing C-17 Globemaster transport planes. He didn’t specify how many would be sent or when.
“We’re not just sending our prayers, we are sending our guns, we’re sending our munitions, we’re sending our humanitarian aid, we’re sending all of this, our body armor, all of these things and we’re going to be sending our armored vehicles, our Bushmasters, as well,” Morrison said.
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Zelenskyy has been tailoring his message to individual countries through video appeals like the one shown to legislators in the Australian Parliament. Lawmakers gave him standing ovation at the start and end of his 16-minute address.
Zelenskyy also called for tougher sanctions and for Russian vessels to be banned from international ports.
“We need more sanctions against Russia, powerful sanctions until they stop blackmailing other countries with their nuclear missiles,” Zelenskyy said through an interpreter.
Zelenskyy specifically asked for Bushmaster vehicles.
“You have very good armed personnel vehicles, Bushmasters, that could help Ukraine substantially, and other pieces of equipment,” Zelenskyy said.
While the Ukrainian capital Kyiv is 15,000 kilometers (9,300 miles) from the Australian capital Canberra, Zelenskyy said Australia was not safe from the conflict which threatened to escalate into a nuclear war.
He suggested that a Russian victory over Ukraine would embolden China to declare war on Taiwan.
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“The most terrible thing is that if we don’t stop Russia now, if we don’t hold Russia accountable, then some other countries of the world who are looking forward to similar wars against their neighbors will decide that such things are possible for them as well,” Zelenskyy said.
Zelenskyy also said Russia would not have invaded Ukraine if Moscow had been punished for the 2014 downing of a Malaysia Airlines plane in Ukraine.
Two weeks ago, the Australian and Dutch governments launched a legal case against Russia at the International Civil Aviation Organization to hold Moscow accountable for its alleged role in the missile strike that killed all 298 people on MH17. Of the victims, 196 were Dutch citizens and 38 were Australian residents.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison had earlier told the president that Australia would provide additional military assistance including tactical decoys, unmanned aerial and unmanned ground systems, rations and medical supplies. He later said the additional help would cost 25 million Australian dollars ($19 million).
“You have our prayers, but you also have our weapons, our humanitarian aid, our sanctions against those who seek to deny your freedom and you even have our coal,” Morrison said.
Australia has already promised or provided Ukraine with AU$91 million ($68 million) in military assistance, AU$65 million ($49 million) in humanitarian help and 70,000 metric tons (77,200 U.S. tons) of coal.
Earlier Thursday, the government announced Australia was imposing an additional 35% tariff on all imports from Russia and Belarus starting April 25.
Oil and energy imports from Russia will be banned from that date. Exports to Russia of Australian aluminum ore will also be banned.
Sanctions have been imposed on more than 500 individuals and entities in Russia and Belarus. The sanctions cover 80% of the Russian banking sector and all government entities that handle Russian sovereign debt.
New Zealand to remove pandemic mandates as omicron wanes
New Zealand will remove many of its COVID-19 pandemic mandates over the next two weeks as an outbreak of the omicron variant begins to wane.
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said Wednesday that people will no longer need to be vaccinated to visit places like retail stores, restaurants and bars from April 4. Gone, too, will be a requirement to scan QR barcodes at those venues.
Read:Fishing boat sinks in New Zealand storm, 4 dead, 1 missing
A vaccine mandate will be scrapped for some workers — including teachers, police officers and waiters — though it will continue for health care and aged-care workers, border workers and corrections officers.
Also gone from Friday is a limit on outdoor crowds of 100. That will allow some concerts and big sporting events like marathons to resume. An indoor limit of 100 people will be raised to 200 people, and could later be removed altogether.
Remaining in place is a requirement that people wear masks in many enclosed spaces, including in stores, on public transport and, for children aged 8 and over, in school classrooms.
Ardern said the government's actions over the past two years to limit the spread of the coronavirus had saved thousands of lives and helped the economy.
“But while we’ve been successful, it’s also been bloody hard," Ardern said.
“Everyone has had to give up something to make this work, and some more than others,” she said.
The changes mean that many restrictions will be removed before tourists start arriving back in New Zealand.
Earlier this month, the government announced that Australian tourists would be welcomed back from April 12 and tourists from many other countries, including the U.S., Canada, and Britain, from May 1.
International tourism used to account for about 20% of New Zealand’s foreign income and more than 5% of GDP but evaporated after the South Pacific nation imposed some of the world's strictest border controls after the pandemic began.
Read: New Zealand to end quarantine stays and reopen its borders
New Zealand continues to see some of its highest rates of coronavirus infections and hospitalizations since the pandemic began, with an average 17,000 new infections being reported each day.
But Ardern said modeling shows that the biggest city of Auckland is already significantly past the peak of its omicron outbreak and the rest of the country will soon follow.
Health experts warned that some countries which had dropped restrictions as omicron faded were now experiencing another surge of cases.
Fishing boat sinks in New Zealand storm, 4 dead, 1 missing
Rescuers on Monday were continuing to search for one person still missing a day after a chartered fishing boat carrying 10 people sank in a storm off the New Zealand coast. A helicopter rescued five people from the sea, and four bodies have been recovered.
The 17-meter (56-foot) boat got into trouble and its emergency beacon was activated at 8 p.m. Sunday off North Cape on the northern coast. A helicopter became the first search and rescue vehicle to reach the remote location at 11:40 p.m., said Nick Burt, spokesman for Maritime NZ’s Rescue Coordination Center.
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“The weather really hampered the response from the aircraft. There was thunderstorms, dangerous flying conditions, so that was the earliest we could get to the scene," Burt said.
The boat was confirmed sunk at 2:30 a.m., he said. Weather conditions were more favorable for the search Monday, with a navy patrol boat coordinating, helicopters in the air and ground crews scouring the shoreline, Burt said.
Two bodies in the water were recovered by helicopter on Monday morning, and another two were recovered by search vessels, police said.
The five people rescued by helicopter were admitted to Kaitaia Hospital and later discharged.
Luis Fernandes, a meteorologist with New Zealand’s weather agency MetService, said gale-force winds had whipped up rough seas around North Cape at the time the alarm was raised.
But conditions eased in the area later in the night as the search began and the storm system moved south, he said.
The fishing boat had left the northern port of Mangonui on Thursday, the Stuff news website reported.
Read: New Zealand to end quarantine stays and reopen its borders
On board were the captain, a crew member and eight passengers from Auckland, New Zealand’s most populous city, Stuff said.
The captain was among with survivors, the website said. No one else has been identified.
Top Australian scientists to tackle plastic waste
Australia's national science agency has made a commitment to help reduce the country's plastic waste by 80 percent over 10 years.
The Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO) on Sunday announced a further investment in its Ending Plastic Waste Mission.
The initiative will receive 50 million Australian dollars (37.1 million U.S. dollars) in funding from the CSIRO, industry, governments and universities to develop cutting-edge innovations for how Australia makes, uses, recycles and disposes of plastics.
Australians currently use 1 million tonnes of single use plastic every year, only 12 percent of which is recycled.
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Larry Marshall, chief executive of the CSIRO, said that without significant action the plastic waste problem would continue to grow.
"The Ending Plastic Waste Mission will bring together the whole innovation system, from government, industry and academia to turn science into solutions that will benefit the environment and create economic opportunities for Australia," he said in a media release.
"By turning plastic waste into a renewable resource, the Mission will deliver collaborative scientific and manufacturing capabilities to drive new technologies across the entire plastics supply chain and grow Australia's circular economy."
The CSIRO launched its "Team Australia" missions project in August 2020 with an aim of using major scientific and collaborative research initiatives to solve the country's biggest challenges including plastic waste, climate change uncertainty, pandemics and natural disasters.
Dams needed to boost Australia's flood resilience: PM
Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison has called for more dams to be built to boost the country's flood resilience on Sunday, acknowledging the role of climate change in flooding that has hit Australia's northeast.
However, he said that instead of focusing on reducing greenhouse gas emissions, more needed to be done to mitigate the impacts of future floods and fires.
At least 20 people have died and thousands of buildings have been destroyed in floods that began late in February when parts of Queensland and New South Wales received a year's worth of rain in a matter of days.
"Dealing with climate change isn't just about getting emissions down, it's about resilience and adaptation," he told Nine Network television.
"You want to deal with resilience on bushfires, you have to do fuel load management," he said. "You want to deal with floods, you have to build dams."
READ: Major floods swamp Australia's east coast, claiming 7 lives
The federal government has been criticized for failing to immediately deploy resources including the Australian Defense Force (ADF) to the flood zone.
Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk on Thursday rejected federal assistance, saying it was offered too late and criticizing Morrison for funding only three of the 20 flood mitigation measures she has proposed since November 2020.
In response, Morrison said the federal government deployed resources as quickly as it could.
500,000 people on flood alert as rain lashes Sydney
Around 500,000 people in Sydney and its surrounds had by Thursday been told to evacuate or prepare to flee floodwaters as torrential rain lashed an extraordinarily long stretch of the Australian east coast.
Rivers were rising in Australia’s most populous city, home to 5 million, with New South Wales' State Emergency Services Minister Steph Cooke warning of “treacherous weather conditions” over the next 24 hours.
Read:Major floods swamp Australia's east coast, claiming 7 lives
Australia’s Bureau of Meteorology warned of life-threatening flash flooding and damaging winds with peak gusts in excess of 90 kilometers (56 miles) an hour.
Major flooding was expected along several rivers in and around Sydney. Dozens of suburbs were on high alert.
The State Emergency Service issued evacuation orders to 200,000 residents and evacuation warnings had been sent to another 300,000.
New South Wales Premier Dominic Perrottet urged residents to take the orders seriously.
“We do believe that things will get worse before they get better," Perrottet said.
Minor flood warnings were also issued for coastal communities as far as 200 kilometers (120 miles) south of Sydney.
Floodwaters were also rising in Brisbane, Australia’s third-most populous city 730 kilometers (450 miles) north of Sydney, as severe thunder storms struck.
Hailstones 5 to 6 centimeters (2 inches) wide pounded the town of Inglewood, 270 kilometers (170 miles) southwest of Brisbane, early Thursday, the Bureau of Meteorology said.
Extraordinarily heavy rain brought flash floods to the Queensland state coast 500 kilometers (310 miles) north of the capital Brisbane last week and a south-moving low-pressure system had since brought the rain south of Sydney.
The flooding has claimed 14 lives in Queensland and neighboring New South Wales since Feb. 22, when the body of a 63-year-old woman was recovered from a submerged car at Belli Park, north of Brisbane.
In New South Wales, a 54-year-old man was found Friday in a submerged SUV in Matcham, 90 kilometers (50 miles) north of Sydney.
Most recently, a man in his 70s was found in his flooded apartment Wednesday in Lismore, New South Wales. Four people died in the town of 28,000.
Several Brisbane suburbs remain flooded after the river that snakes through the city center peaked on Monday.
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Queensland Fire and Emergency Services Assistant Commissioner John Cawcutt said hundreds of people were calling for help in Brisbane — home to 2.6 million people — and its surrounds with heavy rain causing flash flooding.
“We’ve got high winds and of course we’ve got the potential for flash flooding because of the already sodden ground out there,” Cawcutt told Nine Network television.
“Because of the saturation, creeks are rising very, very quickly — drains, stormwater areas, water is bubbling up from below ground so it’s right across Brisbane,” Cawcutt added.
He described the dangerous weather extending north of Brisbane and south of Sydney as an “enormous event.”
Bureau of Meteorology forecaster Laura Boekel said thunderstorms brought the chance of more flooding, extending 450 kilometers (280 miles) north from Brisbane to Bundaberg during the next day or two.
“This is a very dangerous and potentially life-threatening situation for southeast Queensland,” Boekel said.
Major floods swamp Australia's east coast, claiming 7 lives
Parts of Australia’s third-most populous city Brisbane were under water Monday after heavy rain brought record flooding to some east coast areas and killed seven people.
The flooding in Brisbane and its surrounds is the worst since 2011 when the city of 2.6 million people was inundated by what was described as a once-in-a-century event.
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A 59-year-old man drowned in Brisbane’s north on Sunday afternoon after he tried to cross a flooded creek on foot and was pinned against a fence, Queensland state police said on Monday.
Queensland emergency services warned life-threatening flash flooding was occurring south of Brisbane in parts of Gold Coast city.
Residents were advised to shelter where they were unless it is unsafe to do so. Access to many areas was cut in multiple places, Queensland Fire and Emergency Services said in an alert.
Emergency crews made more than 100 swift-water rescues after receiving 8,000 calls for help in Brisbane and its surrounds since midafternoon Sunday, officials said.
All seven flood deaths have been in Queensland state, of which Brisbane is the capital. A search continues for a solo sailor, aged in his 70s, who fell overboard from his vessel in the Brisbane River near the city center on Saturday.
Multiple emergency flood alerts were in place for Brisbane suburbs, where 2,145 homes and 2,356 businesses were submerged or would become so Monday as the waters rose. Another 10,827 properties will be partially flooded above the floorboards.
The waters were forecast to peak less than 50 centimeters (20 inches) below the 4.46 meter (14 foot, 3 inch) flood level reached in 2011, officials said.
Brisbane Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner said the floods are “very different” to 2011 because the rain pummeled the region for five days. In 2011, the rain had stopped days before the Brisbane River peaked and authorities had warned for several days of flooding downstream.
Queensland Transport Minister Mark Bailey said major roads had been cut. Train and ferry services across Brisbane have been halted, he said.
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“We’re going to have localized flooding in a lot of areas for a couple of days yet,” Bailey said.
South of the Queensland border, the New South Wales town of Lismore was bracing for its worst flooding on record.
Downtown Lismore was inundated on Monday after days of unrelenting rain and 15,000 people had been evacuated, officials said.